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News Release Information

19-1665-KAN
Tuesday, September 24, 2019

Contacts Technical information: Media contact:
  • (816) 285-7000

County Employment and Wages in Utah – First Quarter 2019

Employment rose in all four large counties in Utah from March 2018 to March 2019, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported today. (Large counties are those with 2018 annual average employment levels of 75,000 or more.) Assistant Commissioner for Regional Operations Stanley W. Suchman noted that all four counties reported rates of job growth that exceeded the national average of 1.4 percent. Utah County (3.7 percent) had the largest gain and Weber County (1.8 percent) had the smallest over-the-year increase. (See table 1.)

Nationally, employment advanced 1.4 percent from March 2018 to March 2019 as 298 of the 355 largest U.S. counties registered increases. Midland, TX, had the largest percentage increase, up 5.8 percent over the year. Bay, FL, had the largest over-the-year percentage decrease in employment with a loss of 5.9 percent.

Among the four largest counties in Utah, employment was highest in Salt Lake County (710,000) in March 2019. Together, the four large counties accounted for 79.7 percent of total employment within the state. Nationwide, the 355 largest counties made up 73.5 percent of total U.S. employment.

From the first quarter of 2018 to the first quarter of 2019, Utah County recorded the fastest rate of increase in average weekly wages among the four large counties in Utah, registering a gain of 4.2 percent. (See table 1.) Salt Lake had the highest average weekly wage among the state’s large counties at $1,130 per week. Nationally, average weekly wages increased 2.8 percent over the year to $1,184.

Employment and wage levels (but not over-the-year changes) are also available for the 25 counties in Utah with employment below 75,000. Wage levels in all of these smaller counties were below the national average in March 2019. (See table 2.)

Large county wage changes

Average weekly wages in all four large counties increased from the first quarter 2018 to the first quarter 2019. Utah County’s 4.2-percent rise in average weekly wages was the largest among the state’s large counties and ranked 60th among the nation’s 355 largest counties. (See table 1.) Average weekly wages in Salt Lake County increased 3.3 percent over the year, ranking 110th. Over-the-year wage gains in Utah’s remaining two large counties were less than the national average, with Davis and Weber recording increases of 2.7 percent and 2.1 percent, respectively.

Nationally, 325 of the 355 largest counties had over-the-year increases in average weekly wages. San Francisco, CA, had the largest over-the-year wage gain at 10.2 percent from the first quarter of 2018.

Among the largest U.S. counties, 28 experienced over-the-year decreases in average weekly wages. Elkhart, IN, had the largest percentage decrease in average weekly wages with a decline of 7.6 percent.

Large county average weekly wages

As noted, Salt Lake County ($1,130) had the highest average weekly wage in the state and ranked 115th among the 355 largest counties in the United States. Utah ($938, 254th), Davis ($887, 297th), and Weber ($823, 332nd) Counties also reported average weekly wages below the national average of $1,184.

Nationally, 92 large counties registered average weekly wages above the U.S. average of $1,184 in the first quarter of 2019. New York, NY, held the top position with an average weekly wage of $3,153, followed by San Francisco, CA ($2,759), and Santa Clara, CA ($2,758).

Seventy-four percent of the largest U.S. counties (263) reported average weekly wages below the national average. The lowest weekly wages were Cameron, TX ($648) followed by Horry, SC ($652) and Hidalgo, TX ($662).

Average weekly wages in Utah’s smaller counties

The 25 smaller counties in Utah, those with employment below 75,000, had average weekly wages below the national average. Among these smaller counties, Duchesne ($915) had the highest average weekly wage and Piute ($507) had the lowest average weekly wage in the first quarter of 2019. (See table 2.)

When all 29 counties in Utah were considered, 7 reported average weekly wages of $850 or higher, 6 reported wages from $750 to $849, 8 had wages from $650 to $749, 6 had wages from $550 to $649, and 2 had wages of $549 or lower. (See chart 1.)

Additional statistics and other information

QCEW data for states have been included in this release in table 3. For additional information about quarterly employment and wages data, please read the Technical Note or visit www.bls.gov/cew.

Employment and Wages Annual Averages Online features comprehensive information by detailed industry on establishments, employment, and wages for the nation and all states. The 2018 edition of this publication contains selected data produced by Business Employment Dynamics (BED) on job gains and losses, as well as selected data from the first quarter 2019 version of the national news release. Tables and additional content from Employment and Wages Annual Averages are now available online at www.bls.gov/cew/publications/employment-and-wages-annual-averages/2018/home.htm.

The County Employment and Wages release for second quarter 2016 is scheduled to be released on Wednesday, December 7, 2016.

QCEW Data Now Available in Census Business Builder Version 2.6

The Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages data is now available in Census Business Builder Version 2.6, a suite of U.S. Census Bureau web tools that assists business owners and regional analysts in data-driven decision making. As the first collaboration of this type between the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the U.S. Census Bureau, this data-sharing project makes data more accessible for local users and enhances the efficiency of digital service delivery. The Census Business Builder is available at: www.census.gov/data/data-tools/cbb.html.


Technical Note

Average weekly wage data by county are compiled under the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW) program, also known as the ES-202 program. The data are derived from summaries of employment and total pay of workers covered by state and federal unemployment insurance (UI) legislation and provided by State Workforce Agencies (SWAs). The 10.0 million employer reports covered workers in 146.1 million jobs. The average weekly wage values are calculated by dividing quarterly total wages by the average of the three monthly employment levels of those covered by UI programs. The result is then divided by 13, the number of weeks in a quarter. It is to be noted, therefore, that over-the-year wage changes for geographic areas may reflect shifts in the composition of employment by industry, occupation, and such other factors as hours of work. Thus, wages may vary among counties, metropolitan areas, or states for reasons other than changes in the average wage level.

QCEW data are not designed as a time series. QCEW data are simply the sums of individual establishment records reflecting the number of establishments that exist in a county or industry at a point in time. Establishments can move in or out of a county or industry for a number of reasons–some reflecting economic events, others reflecting administrative changes.

The preliminary QCEW data presented in this release may differ from data released by the individual states as well as from the data presented on the BLS Web site. These potential differences result from the states’ continuing receipt, review and editing of UI data over time. On the other hand, differences between data in this release and the data found on the BLS Web site are the result of adjustments made to improve over-the-year comparisons. Specifically, these adjustments account for administrative (noneconomic) changes such as a correction to a previously reported location or industry classification. Adjusting for these administrative changes allows users to more accurately assess changes of an economic nature (such as a firm moving from one county to another or changing its primary economic activity) over a 12-month period. Currently, adjusted data are available only from BLS press releases.

Information in this release will be made available to sensory impaired individuals upon request. Voice phone: (202) 691-5200; Federal Relay Service: (800) 877-8339.

Table 1. Covered employment and wages in the United States and the 4 largest counties in Utah, first quarter 2019
AreaEmploymentAverage weekly wage (1)
March 2019 (thousands)Percent change, March 2018-19 (2)National ranking by percent change (3)Average weekly wageNational ranking by level (3)Percent change, first quarter 2018-19 (2)National ranking by percent change (3)

United States (4)

146,497.61.4--1184--2.8--

Utah

1,501.43.0--978323.116

Davis

129.92.1788872972.7161

Salt Lake

710.02.93011301153.3110

Utah

248.63.7119382544.260

Weber

108.31.8948233322.1218

Footnotes:
(1) Average weekly wages were calculated using unrounded data.
(2) Percent changes were computed from quarterly employment and pay data adjusted for noneconomic county reclassifications.
(3) Ranking does not include data for Puerto Rico or the Virgin Islands.
(4) Totals for the United States do not include data for Puerto Rico or the Virgin Islands.

Note: Data are preliminary. Covered employment and wages includes workers covered by Unemployment Insurance (UI) and Unemployment Compensation for Federal Employees (UCFE) programs.

Table 2. Covered employment and wages in the United States and all counties in Utah, first quarter 2019
AreaEmployment March 2019Average Weekly Wage(1)

United States(2)

146,497,599$1,184

Utah

1,501,447978

Beaver

2,854661

Box Elder

21,435768

Cache

57,036719

Carbon

8,387850

Daggett

306643

Davis

129,875887

Duchesne

7,710915

Emery

3,366850

Garfield

2,058651

Grand

5,789636

Iron

19,371635

Juab

3,738685

Kane

3,355605

Millard

4,650747

Morgan

2,566802

Piute

282507

Rich

682543

Salt Lake

709,9571,130

San Juan

4,228682

Sanpete

8,244618

Sevier

8,946719

Summit

31,009892

Tooele

16,293792

Uintah

12,862846

Utah

248,642938

Wasatch

9,686829

Washington

68,888717

Wayne

955632

Weber

108,277823

Footnotes
(1) Average weekly wages were calculated using unrounded data.
(2) Totals for the United States do not include data for Puerto Rico or the Virgin Islands.

NOTE: Includes workers covered by Unemployment Insurance (UI) and Unemployment Compensation for Federal Employees (UCFE) programs. Data are preliminary.

Table 3. Covered employment and wages by state, first quarter 2019
StateEmploymentAverage weekly wage (1)
March 2019 (thousands)Percent change, March 2018-19Average weekly wageNational ranking by levelPercent change, first quarter 2018-19National ranking by percent change

United States (2)

146,497.61.4$1,184--2.8--

Alabama

1,978.01.6944382.532

Alaska

312.40.31,108183.39

Arizona

2,895.12.51,056223.021

Arkansas

1,218.50.7896452.238

California

17,436.41.81,40153.84

Colorado

2,690.31.91,23194.82

Connecticut

1,650.60.01,48742.334

Delaware

444.11.31,19913-0.151

District of Columbia

773.50.51,92110.249

Florida

8,894.32.11,015262.725

Georgia

4,488.62.11,121172.628

Hawaii

658.1-0.41,006273.48

Idaho

732.32.7828502.334

Illinois

5,912.00.11,27582.725

Indiana

3,059.11.2963330.948

Iowa

1,527.10.1942392.334

Kansas

1,379.30.6940403.212

Kentucky

1,882.60.6920412.238

Louisiana

1,916.8-0.1954342.532

Maine

599.81.2919423.116

Maryland

2,670.30.91,228101.745

Massachusetts

3,558.11.11,56133.57

Michigan

4,307.40.61,078200.150

Minnesota

2,840.80.51,203122.334

Mississippi

1,129.80.4779511.843

Missouri

2,788.40.5986312.628

Montana

458.80.9844493.116

Nebraska

965.60.1917432.238

Nevada

1,392.23.0992291.547

New Hampshire

656.21.21,156153.116

New Jersey

4,040.21.31,39961.745

New Mexico

825.41.3890473.212

New York

9,453.51.51,63922.628

North Carolina

4,458.52.01,054233.212

North Dakota

414.31.51,021253.39

Ohio

5,363.20.71,035243.021

Oklahoma

1,617.01.1953354.33

Oregon

1,921.91.31,060213.39

Pennsylvania

5,850.31.11,146162.824

Rhode Island

474.70.81,104191.843

South Carolina

2,110.02.0901443.021

South Dakota

419.00.4865482.725

Tennessee

3,004.22.0996281.942

Texas

12,455.62.21,204113.116

Utah

1,501.43.0978323.116

Vermont

309.10.4950363.75

Virginia

3,896.91.21,186142.141

Washington

3,371.11.81,36874.91

West Virginia

687.10.3896453.212

Wisconsin

2,838.90.1992292.628

Wyoming

269.01.9948373.75

Puerto Rico

875.82.2553(3)-2.1(3)

Virgin Islands

36.69.6966(3)-1.0(3)

Footnotes:
(1) Average weekly wages were calculated using unrounded data.
(2) Totals for the United States do not include data for Puerto Rico or the Virgin Islands.
(3) Data not included in the national ranking.

Note: Data are preliminary. Covered employment and wages includes workers covered by Unemployment Insurance (UI) and Unemployment Compensation for Federal Employees (UCFE) programs.

 

Last Modified Date: Tuesday, September 24, 2019